Dual Month Saddle
One of the major businesses of Yunnan casting frims was to pay remitted silver to clients presenting a draft issued by a cashier outside of Yunnan. The client in Yunnan would get paid by the Yunnan casting firm for the remitted silver without the need to travel far or transport the silver. The cost born by the client was either to pay a handling fee; or have the payment of the remitted silver postponed for a few months; the firm benefited from the interest earned on the deferred payment.
Usually, the Yunnan casting firm was either engaged in a two-way business with the cashier in a neighboring province, or was able to transact with the cashier through a monetary alliance. Yunnan casting firms could easily settle the balance of a remitted silver by offsetting the amount from account receivables, or adding it into account payables of the cashier.
When paying the deferred remitted silver, Month Saddle was often used as the form of payment. When making payment the Yunnan casting firms inscribed the month of the original payment and the month for the deferred payment on the silver, so as to differentiate them from other Month Saddle for which the firm was really acting as a cashier.
No.
I-M/#13
Weight: 160 grams/4+ taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 李源鑫號/柒月紋銀 李源鑫號/玖月紋銀
Li Yuan Hsin FirmThe 7th Month Fine Silver (Left, Right)
The 9th Month Fine Silver (Center)
Assaying chops: 公估童看訖
Public Assayer Tong Checked
Notes:
Collection of the webmaster
No.
O-M/#1
Weight: 172 grams/5- taels
Date: N/A
Inscriptions: 永利王記/正月紋銀
Yong Li Wang FirmThe 1st Month Fine Silver
Assaying chops: 公義三月紋銀記/公義三月紋銀記
Publicly Agreed, The 3rd Month Fine Silver's Remark
Notes:
Collection of the webmaster
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